Handsome Harry

R

Released Apr 16, 2010

1 hr. 34 min.

Drama

List

82%

28 Reviews

Tomatometer

56%

250+ Ratings

Audience Score

Tasked with carrying out the final wishes of a dying friend, a former sailor (Jamey Sheridan) visits his old mates to find out what really happened to a member of their group one fateful evening.

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Critics Consensus

Handsome Harry offers more than enough of a satisfying actors' showcase for its impressively stocked cast to overcome a handful of storytelling struggles.

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dave j

Harry Sweeney or "Handsome Harry" (Jamey Sheridan) hence the title makes a promise to former army friend Thomas Kelley (Steve Buscemi) to find and locate another former recruit to whom they used to physically asault just because he was gay.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

03/30/23

Full Review

Audience Member

This is the only film I have ever seen which (thanks to Jamey Sheridan's performance as the title character) portrays a man straddling the middle of the Kinsey scale on sexuality whose fear of being gay leads not only to expectable denial, but who can destroy the object his same sex affection and build a false memory that he even had a role in it. It is a magnificent acting job of focusing so much on the man you want to be - a man you can't really be - and not noticing that although you have the trappings of a "normal" life, you have never really connected with those who are ostensibly "close" to you. Harry straddles distance/intimacy with his son, with a waitress at his local diner, and the inference that he is divorced would indicate an intimacy failure there, too, although it produced a child. Sheridan takes all these contradictions in Harry's character and makes them credible in a single person. It is a portrayal on a par with the complex masculine characters created by Sam Elliot in "Lifeguard" and Warren Beatty in "Shampoo". Harry is flawed, real, exasperating, admirable and detestable all at once. This movie deserves a theatrical re-release and for more people to see it. I saw it on YouTube and it is now one of my favorite movies.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/11/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Slow-moving, slightly posturing drama.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

02/27/23

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Audience Member

I really enjoyed this movie..... Came across it by accident, and I am glad I did.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

01/27/23

Full Review

Audience Member

This film wasn't difficult to predict, but that's not to say it was obvious. Regardless, the story was compelling and so very sad.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/10/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Formulaic, but fair.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

02/04/23

Full Review

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Bette Gordon

Director

Jamey Sheridan

Harry Sweeney

Steve Buscemi

Thomas Kelley

Mariann Mayberry

Judy Rheems

Aidan Quinn

Prof. Porter

John Savage

Peter Rheems

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Jennie Yabroff

Newsweek

... it's nice to see men even acknowledging the fact that they are no more impervious to the effects of time than women, and far preferable to watching actors seeming not to notice that their female costars are now young enough to be their granddaughters.

Feb 8, 2018

Full Review

John Anderson

America Magazine

While Bette Gordon may be a filmmaker of daring and a painterly hand, the eternal truths of Handsome Harry are finally what hold us.

Feb 17, 2015

Full Review

Eric Hynes

Time Out

Rated: 2/5

Nov 17, 2011

Full Review

Marya E. Gates

Cool People Have Feelings, Too. (Substack)

Noir-tinged drama features a career-best performance from Jamey Sheridan.

Feb 13, 2024

Full Review

Rene Jordan

El Nuevo Herald (Miami)

Doesn't have sellable stars or publicity fanfare, but this is one of the this years best. [Full review in Spanish]

Aug 8, 2022

Full Review

Dennis Schwartz

Dennis Schwartz Movie Reviews

Angst-ridden didactic guy's film about the fear of being gay if one doesn't act manly.

Rated: B

Oct 26, 2015

Full Review

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Synopsis

Tasked with carrying out the final wishes of a dying friend, a former sailor (Jamey Sheridan) visits his old mates to find out what really happened to a member of their group one fateful evening.

Director: Bette Gordon
Executive Producer: Fred Berner, Edward Gersh
Screenwriter: Nicholas T. Proferes
Distributor: Paladin
Production Co: Worldview Entertainment, The Film Community
Rating: R (Language|Some Sexual Content)
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Apr 16, 2010, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Apr 5, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA): $22.9K

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